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Image courtesy of the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum.
Image courtesy of the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum.
They Did Their Part
Image courtesy of the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum.
Image courtesy of the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum.

They Did Their Part

Object numberMO 2005.13.40.52.1
Name Poster
Maker (American, founded 1861)
Issuing Body (American, 1942 - 1945)
Date1943
Mediumpaper
Dimensionsoverall H 28 in x W 22 in (71.1 cm x 55.9 cm )
DescriptionA poster simulating a service flag, with a heavy red border and a white center with five blue stars lined up horizontally at the top. In the center of the poster is a black and white photographic image of the five Sullivan Brothers, all wearing their U.S. Navy uniform wool pea coats and beret caps, posing behind a ship's hatch. Black and white text on the lower half of the poster reads: the five Sullivan Brothers / "missing in action" off the Solomons / THEY DID THEIR PART. Additional small text in the bottom margin reads: OWI Poster No. 42. Additional copies may be obtained upon request from the Division of Public Inquiries, Office of War Information, Washington, D. C. / U. S. Government Printing Office : 1943-O-510254.
Label TextMany wartime posters used upbeat appeals to encourage civilians to do their part. Others, like this 1943 poster, employed a reproachful tone. Shortly after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, five brothers from the Sullivan family of Waterloo, Iowa, enlisted in the U.S. Navy. The navy granted their request to serve aboard the same ship. In November 1942, all five perished when their ship was sunk by a Japanese submarine. President Roosevelt sent a condolence letter to their parents and the “Fighting Sullivans” became national heroes. A 1944 feature film recalled their story.
Additional Details
Credit LineGift from the Adriance Memorial Library
National Archives Catalog CollectionFranklin D. Roosevelt Library Museum Collection (National Archives Identifier 735948)
National Archives Catalog SeriesOriginal Posters from World War I and World War II (National Archives Identifier 739394)
Use Restriction StatusUnrestrictedCopyrightReproduction or other use of these holdings or images thereof is unrestricted.
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